16 Nov 12

Nobre: why rallying might
not be the only goal

Paulo Nobre marked getting to the end of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana last weekend by admitting the mixed-surface event could be his last appearance in the FIA World Rally Championship for the foreseeable future.

The football-mad Brazilian is running for the presidency of his club, Palmeiras, and has been quite open about the fact he’ll put the beautiful game ahead of another season in the WRC should he secure his dream job.

“This is not the last race of my career but it will be impossible to combine the presidency of Palmeiras with the WRC for the next two years,” said Nobre. “But I will come back, even if it’s for just one more race.”

If Nobre is forced to quit the WRC then he’ll leave with the best wishes of his team boss Bruno De Pianto, who heads the WRC Team MINI Portugal operation.

“It's been great working with Paulo again this year,” said De Pianto. “He's a fantastic guy and everyone in the team loves him. I wish him the best of luck [running for presidency], but also hope to see him back in the WRC soon.”